Potential impact of various surface ligands on the cellular uptake and biodistribution characteristics of red, green, and blue emitting Cu nanoclusters

Surface functionalization has a prominent influence on tuning/manipulating the physicochemical properties of nanometer scaled materials. Ultrasmall sized nanoclusters with very few atoms have received enormous attention due to their bright fluorescence, biocompatibility, lower toxicity, good colloidal stability and strong photostability. These properties make them suitable for diagnostic applications. In this work, we intend to study the effect of surface functional ligands on their biodistribution both in vitro and in vivo organelle systems for bioimaging applications.Published versionS. C. acknowledges the financial support from University Grant Commission-Department of Atomic Energy (UGC-DAE) Consortium for Scientific Research, (UGC-DAE-CRS/2021-22/02/513) and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) under State University Research Excellence (SUR/2022/001424)